Nomination Speech for an Award
Your assignment is to choose a person who you feel should be nominated for the distinguished award “The Most Admirable person of All-time” and create a speech nominating this person. The purpose is to convince your audience that the person you are nominating unquestioningly deserves the award. You may choose your nominee according to criteria that you choose that will be outlined later in your speech. Possible criteria may include: courageous, kind, athletic, notable leader, etc. The person you nominate may be living or dead (in which case you will nominate them posthumously). They can be a relative or acquaintance; famous or common; a character in literature or the movies, etc. You should nominate your person based on qualities he or she possesses and provide evidence through examples that the person has these qualities.
As you prepare your nomination be sure to give consideration to your purpose (to persuade), and your audience (your teacher and your peers).
Your time allotment to complete this assignment: No more than four minutes and no less than two and a half minutes.
Preparing your speech - Think about:
- What traits do you admire most in a person? What other traits do you admire?
- Brainstorm the names of several people or characters that display these qualities.
- Choose one person you think is most deserving.
- List all the qualities this person possesses.
- Identify examples that support or illustrate each quality.
- Choose four of the most persuasive qualities and examples. Outline your supporting paragraphs by restating each quality and evidence to support your assertions (such as quotations, summaries of events, specific actions of the person).
Drafting your speech:
- Write an introduction that explains who you are nominating for the award and your reasons. Consider being on a positive note. Consider stating your opinion of the person or character and the four reasons why he or she deserves the award.
- In the supporting paragraphs, restate each reason and support it with evidence from the text or life of the individual. Write a separate paragraph for each reason.
- Write a succinct concluding paragraph. Do not just restate your thesis.
Revising your speech:
- First individually, and then with a peer, review your draft. Is each reason clear and persuasive? Did you use appropriate supporting evidence? Is your language vivid and persuasive? Make at least on suggestion for improvement.
- Revise and then use the following assessment guidelines:
- The opening starts on a positive and persuasive note
- Four qualities are presented as reasons for the nomination; each reason is clear and persuasive.
- Each paragraph restates a reason and supports it with appropriate evidence and examples.
- Explanations and examples elaborate on qualities of the person or character.
- Proofread for: sentence structure and avoidance of fragments and run-ons; word choice and usage; capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.
Presenting you speech:
- Prepare an outline of your nomination. Use this to deliver your oral nomination.
- Practice. Experiment with volume, pitch, pace, stress and tone. Experiment with gestures, facial expressions, stance, and posture. Remember that the tone should be positive and persuasive throughout.
- Speak the introduction boldly and confidently. Think about what you are saying. Project your voice and speak clearly. Allow yourself to use gestures and movements that come naturally to you. Conclude your nomination firmly. Pause for a moment and acknowledge the applause.
- After the nominations have been presented, decide as a class which candidate should receive the award.